Adele triumphs as Brit Awards enjoys its biggest television audience for seven
years.

The event - which saw the big winner of the night Adele cut off in her prime - drew an average of 6.2 million viewers, including those who tuned in on +1.

It made the ITV1 show the biggest since 2005 when Chris Evans hosted and performers included Green Day and Scissor Sisters, drawing 6.3 million.

If catch-up viewers are excluded, last night's show audience was 5.9 million, making it the biggest since 2008.

Double winner Adele, whose haul included the big prize of the night for best album, had her speech curtailed when the show was in danger of overrunning its time slot. The 23 year-old from Tottenham won best British female and best album for 21.

She accepted the album award from George Michael and earned a standing ovation as she said: "Nothing makes me prouder than coming here with six Grammys... I'm so proud to be British and flying the flag."

But she was cut off mid-flow by Corden in order to make way for a closing performance by Blur, prompting loud boos from the crowd.

Adele responded by sticking her middle finger up at the crowd, a gesture broadcast to the ITV1 audience watching at home. She later apologised.

Corden has admitted he's "upset" by what happened. Speaking after the show on ITV2, Corden said: "I don't understand quite why I was made to [cut her short]".

He continued: "I was having the best night of my life and then I had to cut Adele off before she's even had chance to say thank you. She's the biggest star in the world. I don't understand what happened but I'm upset about it. Blur played for 11 minutes and she didn't get chance to say thank you once."

Prior to the ceremony, it was Kate Bush who attracted headlines for landing a best female nomination after a lengthy absence from the awards scene.

But Adele’s win was a foregone conclusion after a year that has seen her break every record going.

Her album, 21, is the biggest-seller of the 21st century, shifting 17 million copies so far.

Adele’s path to world domination began at the 2011 Brit Awards when her performance of the then-unreleased Someone Like You reduced the audience to tears and became a YouTube sensation.

The song – and the album it came from – chronicle a “rubbish relationship” that Adele went through. But in her latest interview, the singer said her next album would not deal in heartbreak because “I’m done with being a bitter witch”.

Since the release of 21, Adele has overcome throat surgery which threatened to cut off her career in its prime. She performed her hit Rolling In The Deep at the ceremony.

Backstage, Adele said: "I flung the middle finger at the suits, not the fans. Sorry if I offended anyone, but the people in suits offended me. I didn't get to complete my thank you speech."

ITV issued a hasty apology, saying in a statement: "The Brits is a live event. Sadly, the programme was over-running and we had to move on. We would like to apologise to Adele for the interruption."

Brits organisers also said sorry: "We regret this happened and we send deepest apologies to Adele that her big moment was cut short due to the live show over-running.

"We don't want this to undermine her incredible achievement in winning her awards."

Ed Sheeran was another double winner, taking home best British male solo artist and best British breakthrough.

Ed Sheeran thanked his manager for turning him from a "chubby, spotty, ginger teenager" into a Brits winner

Sheeran built his fanbase as an unsigned act via Facebook and YouTube and scored a major hit with The A Team, the acoustic song he recorded in a student flat and put out with a video he made for under £20.

Coldplay opened the show and were later named best British group.

Best British single – the only award of the night chosen by a public vote – went to What Makes You Beautiful by X Factor boyband One Direction.

The international awards went to Bruno Mars (best male), Rihanna (best female) and Foo Fighters (best group). Lana Del Rey won best international breakthrough act.

Emeli Sande took home the Critics’ Choice award, which marks out an artist tipped for success in 2012.